Who are the Sons of God in the Book of Job?

Who are the Sons of Elohim who present themselves before God in Job 1:6? Bible Study on the Book of Job

Speculations and fanciful theories about who the "sons of God" or "sons of Elohim" are have made their way into the Church obscuring the truth about this topic.

In reality, the answer to this question can be very simple if we take the time to dig into Scripture and understand the language and culture in which it was written.

Let's start our journey by analyzing the following passage.

Job 1:6 - "Now there was a day when the sons of the God came to present themselves before the Lord (YHWH), and satan also came among them."

In this passage, the words translated as the "Sons of God" are "Bene Elohim".

But, is this translation correct?

The word translated as God is the Hebrew plural word Elohim, which essentially refers to someone powerful, mighty.

In the Bible, this word can take on various meanings depending on the context.

It is used, for example, when referring to other gods, or to powerful men, such as kings, governors and judges.

In a different context, it might indicate a title for God, to denote His greatness by using a plural form of the Hebrew word El. Neither El or Elohim are the proper name of God, though! See our article on the true name of God and His meaning.

In the verse in question, when read in context, "sons of the elohim" does not refer to the sons of God Almighty, but rather to the "sons of the mighty".

In fact, if we analyze the Hebrew text more closely, the word "elohim" is used for "sons of God", but when they present themselves "before God" (meaning God Almighty) the Tetragrammaton "YHWH" (which is the proper name of God) is used instead.

These powerful and mighty men are those who rule and lead in a certain sector of society, such as rich merchants, kings, princes, governors, judges of that time, living in that area, individuals in a position of authority and power.

We also need to point out that the fact that the text speaks of "sons of the mighty" does not necessarily mean that it is referring to the biological children of those who held a high level position, but rather to those individuals in a privileged position of power themselves.

An example of this expression and concept is when the Bible uses the term "sons of Israel" or "children of Israel", it indicates Israelites in general.

Now that we have established the biblical and contextual definition of these words, we'll see what happens next in the story.

The "Sons of the Elohim" conspire against Job. Why?

At that time, the people of Israel did not yet exist, but this does not mean that there was no one following God.

It simply means that those who loved God were single individuals living in various places on earth, and were not part of a family or clan that had made a covenant of faithfulness to God as a group, as the Israelites did later on.

The pagan men in high places of that time and of that area (=children of the elohim or sons of the elohim), who hold a position of authority, gather to conspire against Job because he was a righteous man in the eyes of God, a man who loved the Lord and followed His Law.

God had greatly blessed the work of his hand because of his righteousness and for the love he had for Him. In fact, he was well-off and held a powerful social position; he was highly respected and feared by the elders and leaders of the city in which he lived.

Job 29:4,8-10 - "Just as I was in the days of my prime, when the friendly counsel of God was over my tent... When I went out to the gate by the city, when I took my seat in the open square, the young men saw me and hid, and the aged arose and stood; the princes refrained from talking, and put their hand on their mouth; the voice of nobles was hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth."

The purpose of this conspiracy is to ruin Job, to destroy him both economically and morally, in order to neutralize him. All his wealth (livestock), all his children, and finally his health are taken away.

Why do the "Sons of the Elohim" feel threatened by Job?

The pagan men of that time and of that area who sat in high places feared Job and felt constantly threatened by his righteousness. They were bothered by the very idea that such a man existed, a powerful and wealthy man and, at the same time, a righteous man who loved God.

They issued unjust laws, by which they oppressed the poor and the needy in order to keep them in a subordinate position, and by which they safeguarded their own position of power and wealth.

Job was in their way. They feared his power and sphere of influence might grow, perhaps enabling him to become a governor and establish equality and justice through God's Law. They felt threatened by Job, because he was a protector of the weak and against those who oppressed them for power and gain.

Job 29:17 - "I broke the fangs of the wicked, and plucked the victim from his teeth."

Additionally, the "Sons of the Elohim" were ruling in unrighteousness and held their subjects in spiritual bondage. They gave common people a false religion with false gods to worship, and offered them a life of sin instead of a life of holiness. And by this, they were able to curse them and call calamities on them through occultic powers!

The Bible contains several stories like this. For example, we find a similar story in the book of Numbers - Ch. 22, where Balak, king of the Moabites (a king, a ruler, a mighty man, a son of the elohim), calls on Balaam to curse the people of Israel for fear that they might grow in number and power, and destroy his people, the Moabites.

Numbers 22:2-4 - "Now Balak, the son of Zippor, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel (the Israelites themselves!). So Moab said to the elders of Midian, 'Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.' And Balak, the son of Zippor, was king of the Moabites at that time."

Numbers 22:5-6 - "Then he sent messengers to Balaam, the son of Beor, at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: 'Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed'."

Does God Conspire And Work Together With Satan And The Mighty To Test Job?

The answer to this question is simply:

NO! He does not!

God does NOT work together with anyone, especially the unrighteous. If we said or simply suggested that He did, this statement or implication would be a heresy and in conflict with the entire Bible.

So, what does really happen in these verses?

To understand this story one must not only know the language in which it was written, but also the type of idiomatic expressions.

We should not be fooled by literal translations of biblical speech, just because today we express ourselves differently.

Job 1:6 - "Now there was a day when the sons of the elohim came to present themselves before the Lord (YHWH), and satan also came among them."

This type of language is common in the Bible. It is simply an allegorical story, a parable, to illustrate the circumstances, and underline the fact that, even if this conspiracy apparently took place in secret, in reality, it took place right before God.

God knows and sees all. Nothing escapes the watchful eyes of God, not even the secret plots of the wicked!

So, the powerful, moved by their heart contrary to God and rebellious to His Law, gather to plot against Job.

Satan was the spirit that moved these powerful men. In fact, satan, as the adversary of God, was metaphorically among them. In other words, satan was the spirit that governed the heart of these men.

Job 1:7 - "The Lord said to satan: 'From where do you come?' So, satan answered the Lord and said: 'From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.' (= evil was covering the whole earth)."

What is the meaning of the story in Job 1:6-12?

When we know biblical language and speech, we can state with certainty that this is a parable, an allegorical story, like many others in the Bible. It describes the circumstances in which the powerful of that time and of that area (children of the elohim), moved by a spirit in opposition to God (satan), get together to conspire against Job and curse him in order to get him out of the way.

Moreover

We can also state with certainty that the meeting and the conversation between the mighty men, God and satan never took place in reality and in a literal sense. God would never talk to satan or to the wicked, the very idea is pure fantasy and a heresy. There was no meeting and this is not a conversation; it is a parable - a metaphoric story - that illustrates a real situation. In the language of the Bible, this way of telling a story simply underlines the fact that nothing happens in secret that God does not know about, and therefore, even the occult plots of the powerful, however secret, all occur under the watchful eyes of God.

Next, we'll see why God allowed the curse pronounced by the powerful and wicked men to strike and destroy Job.

This is PART 2 of a study on the Book of Job.

We encourage you to follow our breadcrumbs in the recommended order and read the next article Did God punish Job unjustly? to fully comprehend this story.

If you would like to fully comprehend the Book of Job and read our study in sequence, start from the beginning.